@matthewtaylorx, 08/09/2012 13:50

Matthew Taylor (@matthewtaylorx) 08/09/2012 13:50 Damien hurst @ Tate Modern. Expected to not like it. But surprisingly good. Would have worked split between the V&A and Nat Hist museum 8/10

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The Fringe 2012

Only managed 14 shows at this year Fringe. Some good, some not so good, none excellent..apart from martins exhibition. Looking forward to 2013.

Paul McCaffrey @ The Underbelly Wee Coo

Paul McCaffrey @ Underbelly Wee Coo. Comic routine based on music festival attendance. Bit of a funny bloke in a pub telling stories 6/10

@matthewtaylorx, 06/08/2012 19:50

Alistair Barrie @underbelly<https://twitter.com/@underbelly> clover. New labouresk well travelled & clever comic routine. A crowd pleaser. 7/10

@matthewtaylorx, 06/08/2012 17:30

Michael deacon@the gilded balloon. Irish comic who lives with a fishmonger & mannequin doll. Good audience participation. 5/10

@matthewtaylorx, 06/08/2012 15:00

Half past bitch @edfringe<https://twitter.com/@edfringe>. When the comedian said 3 is a crowd I realised there were more performers than audience. Free biscuits. 4/10

@matthewtaylorx, 06/08/2012 13:30

Van Gogh to Kandinsky@ Scot.Nat.Gal. Some fine paintings. Interesting how folk spend more time in the trinkets shop than the gallery. -6/10

@matthewtaylorx, 04/08/2012 18:00

The noise next door@The pleasance above. Very clever fast paced improv show that will be on youtube tomorrow. Well done to the audience 7/10

@matthewtaylorx, 04/08/2012 14:30

Bridget Christie: War Donkey @ The Assembly. I did not realise feminism could be this funny. Moments of real hilarity with a message. 7/10

@matthewtaylorx, 04/08/2012 12:22

[http://a0.twimg.com/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_2_normal.png]Matthew Taylor (@matthewtaylorx<https://twitter.com/matthewtaylorx>)
04/08/2012 12:22<https://twitter.com/matthewtaylorx/status/231711592516030464>
The Return of the Lumberjacks@The Assembly. Stand up comedy with a canadian theme. Featuring Stewart Francis + others & guest Jimoien. 8/10


Matthew Taylor

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@matthewtaylorx, 04/08/2012 12:18

[http://a0.twimg.com/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_2_normal.png]Matthew Taylor (@matthewtaylorx<https://twitter.com/matthewtaylorx>)
04/08/2012 12:18<https://twitter.com/matthewtaylorx/status/231710615322914816>
The thinking drinkers guide to alcohol@The Assembly. History of alcohol & its contribution to society. Free drinks, jokes & informative 8/10


Matthew Taylor

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This e-mail is confidential to the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, or copying is not permitted. This e-mail has been checked for viruses, but no liability is accepted for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

@matthewtaylorx, 04/08/2012 17:30

Not my cup of tea @ the radisson. Young kids go self sufficient in the 60's. Good performances & script. Excessive use of F word 7/10

@matthewtaylorx, 04/08/2012 15:30

Dot dot dot @ the caves. Two quiet blokes do a series of family related sketches in this damp dark venue 'touch down' 6+/10

@matthewtaylorx, 03/08/2012 23:50

The Spontaneous Comedian @ Pleasance Attic. David Trent started off quite well in this intimate venue but shock/sick humour spoilt It. -3/10

@matthewtaylorx, 03/08/2012 20:30

Cheer up it is not the end of the world @ Edinburgh Print Makers. Really good art show featuring Martin Barrett & Damian Hirst 8/10

@matthewtaylorx, 03/08/2012 17:30

In briefs Gilbert & Sullivan @ The Pleasance. Every G&S operetta abridged to fit into a 60 minute show. Weak linking material 5/10

Sweeney Todd @ The Adelphi

Sweeney Todd @ The Adelphi Theatre. Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton, big chorus and the genius of Sondheim means this is a great show 8+/10

This musical is a real favourite of the Taylor's. So no surprise we all went to see this on Val's birthday. She loved it and would have given it a higher score I am sure.  My favourite musicals remain London Road and Hairspray so I had to mark this one accordingly.  I was surprised by just how good Imelda was and by how different Michael made himself.

Eve Loiseau is Edith Piaf @ St. Gabriel's Hall

Eve Loiseau is Edith Piaf @ St. Gabriel's Hall. Eve sings the songs and tells the life story of Edith Piaf as part of a national tour 6+/10


Another special Alderbrooks 'presents' night.  A bring your own three course meal is used to frame the show. Eve sings and tells us the life story of Piaf with accordion and violin support. Accomplished choreographed  projection of Piafs life in pictures add to a very good show.

Best Exotic Matrigold Hotel @ Stratford Picture House

Best exotic marigold hotel @ stratford pic house. Bit of a job opportunities scheme for old actors. Gentle, funny, warm & patronising. 6+/10

This was pretty harmless stuff....but was it. Some of the scenes embraced racial stereo types too easily without any challenge to them. The film left me on a occasion feeling a bit uncomfortable..... and patronised

The Ting Tings - Sounds From Nowheresville

The Ting Tings - Sounds From Nowheresville. New Berlin produced album from this Lotto funded duo. Not as good as We Started Something 6/10

This is a terrific band and their first album really stood out from a crowded market place. The simplicity of a duo with extra synth effects and unusual vocal (s) gives this band it's USP. Their second album is good but it had a very hard act to follow.

The Ting Tings went to Berlin to write and produce this album. Their initial funding came from a lotto win. As I recall it was the lead singers grandfathers win that when shared with his sons allowed the singers father to invest in her.

Purge @ The Arcola Dalston

Purge@The Arcola. Latvias WWII past catches up with some of its citizens after independence from USSR. Rousing, harsh & intimate stuff 7/10

The Arcola is turning out to be a very special theatrical find. They are prespred to put on some different but high quality productions. Is this the East End's Hampstead or Tricycle?

This play flipped between the war years and the present day. Clever staging allowed this to occur in the blink of an eye. Some scenes were a little long - the second to peniultimate death was a partiucualrly long business and could have been a lot shorter.

Another great Turkish meal off Dalston Kingswayafter the show Pete and Tanya, Carla and Pasha. Tanya and Pasha are Ukranian and the play had exta poinyancy for them.

Comedy of Errors @ National Theatre Live @ Stratford Picture House

Comedy of Errors @ NT Live Stratford Picture Hse. Such a good idea to beam live theatre to 700 cinemas across the UK. Great production 9+/10.

Superb performances by the cast. Lenny Henry was particularly good. In sport commentators reter to how the best players have time to assess the situation before they make their shot, duck for the line, return a stroke or make a telling pass. Well Lenny was able to achieve the theatrical equivalent of this. Whilst delivering his lines at pace he was able to fit in a lot of acting....and with ease! Easier said than done. I had the added pleasure of knowing my parents were watching the broadcast at the same time in Lincolns Odeon.

Picasso in Britain @ Tate Britain

Picasso@Tate Britain. Very disappointing the Tate shop was shut! I do like to rifle through their arty nicnacs. Picasso was emotionless 4/10

Try as I do I really get very little out of modern art. Next time I will go round with a audio guide and see if that makes a difference.

Juno & The Paycock @ The Littleton

Juno & The Paycock @ The Littleton. VG Irish play incorporates the work shy, hard graft, politics and poverty of a Dublin family 8+/10

A very good play by Sean O'Casey that combined humour and serious drama to tell the tale of a poor Dublin family. Good performance from Sinead Cusack, Ciaran Hinds, Risteard Cooper, and moving cameo from Bernadette McKenna.

Large cast, some only requiring one visit to stage and one or no lines to say! The wealth of resources available to national theatre never ceases to amaze. It cannot be a sustainable economic model. Would love to see their books. Its very own credit crunch must arise surely.

Matinee performance was a very nice way to see this two and a half hour play. Well attended but surrounded by coughers. Much to Val's annoyance.

Bollywood Brass @ Stratford Circus

Bollywood Brass@ Stratford Circus. We liked it. The whole audience liked it. Clever synced back projection & a good brass & drum band 7+/10

I expected to be in the minority of white faces at this show. As it happens the audience was mostly white but with more Asian faces than one would normally see at a brass band or similar event. The band was also predominantly white with only two drummers of Asian origin. Bollywood brass - two trumpets, two trombones, alto sax and suzaphone plus four percussionists played Indian and Pakistani film music to back projected clips from the original films. The band do not use music and have transcribed their pieces directly from the film sound tracks. The synching of the film with music was superb. The tight timing was not a reflection of the bands skill but rather the projectionist who quickened and slowed the film to keep pace with the music.

When asking why there were no Asian brass players we were told that whilst there are many brass bands in India - a legacy of British military colonial rule - it is a low caste activity and therefore does not attract western Asian players. Strings by contrast is considered a high caste activity and as my friend Bobbie testifies the local music school has no lack of violin pupils.

Went to the Stratford Gate Inidian Restaurant for a meal afterwards. Very good food in a surprisingly empty restaurant.

Noises Off @ The Old Vic

Noises off @ The Old Vic. Rejoice A true british farce nearing the end of it's run before moving to the west end north of the river. 8/10

This is the 3rd time I have seen this play. The first was in 1982 at the Savoy. Way up in the gods I remember feeling that I was going to fall out ofmy seat they were so steep and hardly being able to contain my laughter such was the impact of this very clever play. The 2nd time was with my family. The 3rd at The Old Vic starring Celia Imri was another great cold February weekday escape. Was the stage a bit too big, would the the jokes and physical farce have had even more impact on a more congested set? I think so. Still great play. Will there be a 4th?

Pre theatre meal in The Old Fire Station with James Tye and his new partner - a hypnotherapist who sang the backing high notes on The Beetles last album - very good Malbec, food tepid though.

Leonardo @ The National Gallery

Leonardo @The National Gallery. Thanks Sue for queuing for the ticket. Up close & personal with the great mans work. Wonderful but busy 8/10

The Bee @ The Soho Theatre

@matthewtaylorx: The Bee@Soho theatre. Esc'd convict kidnaps family of a Jap exec and vice versa!Tit4tat exch of body parts ensues. It does make sense 6+/10

Escaped convict on the run after killing his guard holds the family of a japenese executive hostage. The exec thinks he can achieve the safe release of his family if he takes the convicts family hostage also. Empowered by this the exec raises the ante by sending the severed finger of the convicts son to him. A tit for tat exchange ensues resulting in the death of both their sons. The play draws cleverly choreographed parallels between the two mens lives. The choreography of the piece also allows the same actor to play child and convict and for the convicts wife to be played by a man and the exec by a woman. Imaginative use of two way mirrors on simple set was executed well.

This one act play won a lot of awards in japan and is now starting a world tour. Had the quirkiness of a fringe show with west end production standards.

The soho theatre has 3 performance areas and a good bar. A nice meeting up place if you can find somewhere to sit or perch your pint.

Alladin @ Brading Crescent Community Hall

@matthewtaylorx: Alladin@brading crescent. Aldersbrook players annual amdram panto. Usual ragbag of jokes, music and dance. Plus 'pizzzahut' singalong. 6/10

The efforts of my local theatre group should be applauded. The amount of work that goes into this annual (intentional) cringe fest is tremendous. Keep it up.

The Artiste @ Stratford Picture House

@matthewtaylorx: The Artiste@Stratford pic hse. Expected more from this given reviews. It was good but did not engage me. Mind on b&w films of my youth 6/10

I guess I just found it all just a bit too sacarin. Not that it was a bad film, far from it. It was a good film, but just not my type of film.

I was very pleased to support this cinema since it now has to compete with the recently opened Stratford City Vue cinema complex in the new Westfeild shopping centre. In fact we want to support it so much we took out annual membership that gives you 10% off drinks at the bar and at the pizza express on the ground floor as well as introductory free tickets.

Richard II @ The Donmar Warehouse

@matthewtaylorx: Richard II @ The Donmar Warehouse. Even managed to follow the story. 8/10

Let me say I am not familiar with Shakespeare and at I would usually not attend one of his plays through choice but might be drawn to a production if an acknnowledgeed celebrity was in the lead, pariticularly one not known for that type of work e.g Lenny Henry in Comedy of Errors. However, circumstances on this occassion meant that we were offered the tickets by friends who were unable to make it. I was glad I googled the story before I went, I had a good idea of what was going to happened .....and that helped a lot. I did enjoy it. Whether this was due to novelty value, the fact I had done a bit of research first or because it was a good production I really cannot say.

The young lead was taken by Eddy Rxxxxxxx who in the same week had achieved extra notoriety for playing the lead in the BBCs adaptation of Birdsong by Sabestian Fawlkes. The Earl of Xxxxxxx was also played by the lead in the BBCs Callows Law. Both actors did well.

This was my first visit to the Donmar warehouse.

2012 annual miners brass band competition

@matthewtaylorx: So here we ago again. The annual miners brass band competition at Butlins in Skegness. Good luck Becontree & Redbridges#butlins2012

See link for full results. http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=14562

Another great if not surreal weekend. Well done to Becontree Brass for coming first in their section and to Redbridge Brass for coming fourth in theirs. Might one have had too much of a good thing....possibly....lets see if we go again next year!

Tosca @ The Coliseum

@matthewtaylorx: Tosca @ The Coliseum. ENO english sung opera with surtitles. Good story & staging (lighting & set). Full and appreciative audience 9/10

I have never been to the Coliseum before. It is a lovely theatre and a great place to stage an opera. The show was truly terrific. Not because of any outstanding individual perfmancne but because of the compelling story and the Strength of the whole ensemble. Bravo.

Like the John Wilson performance we went to last year an elderly member of the audience fainted. It was quite a distraction. The poor old thing had to be stretchered out.

Backbeat @ The Duke of Yorks

@matthewtaylorx: Backbeat@DukeofYorks. Found this pretty lame. Wife liked it. Programmes account of Beetles early years just as entertaining as the show 3/10

Jerusalem @ The Apollo

@matthewtaylorx: Jerusalem@The Apollo. Mark Rylance gives a magnificent performance in this drug & expletive ridden story about a west country outcast. 9/10

Three act play set in the woods where john 'Rooster' Byron lives in his caravan. Popular with local youth for the easy access he offers to drugs and booze. He faces eviction to make way for new housing. Plenty of plot developments and strong performances all round.

Highly entertaining.

Panorama by Gerhard Richter @ Tate Modern

@matthewtaylorx: Panorama by Gerhard Richter@Tate Modern. Varied exhibition with interesting subject matter. Well crafted portraits & abstracts. 6/10